Fireplace fixture



July 5, 1960 ATKINSON 5R 2,943,744

' FIREPLACE FIXTURE Filed May 19, 1958 Truman L. Ark/7730);! BY y IN V EN TOR.

A r TURN-E Ys United States Patent FIREPLACE FIXTURE Truman L. Atkinson, Sr.,'Ludington, Micln, assignor to Truman L. Atkinson, Jr., Arwigsburg, Pa.

Filed May 19, 195s, Ser. No. 736,271

2 Claims. (Cl. 211-450 This invention relates to fireplace fixtures in general and more particularly to the combination of a' set of fireplace tools and means of support therefor.

Numerous different types of supports or standards for fireplace tools have been previously proposed. Some of thesesupports require attachment to the fireplace wall and others are free standing. Those which are free standing are usually the more expensive since a heavier gage material is normally used to provide greater weight and stability for the standard. At the same time the weight of such free standing supports reduces the extent to which they can be readily moved for one one place to another. In both types of standards the tools are frequently'disposed in a free hanging position. In such position the tools usually drop fireplace dirt to the floor every time they are removed or replaced on the standard or whenever they are caused to swing free as in moving the standard or accidentally jarring it.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide a simple and inexpensive standard and fireplace tool set.

The proposed standard may be made from one continuous piece of inexpensive rod or other stock material and is formed in a simple yet attractive and functional manner. The fireplace tools may also be made inexpensively from commonly available materials, including the same stock material used in making the standard.

It is another object of this invention to teach the functional'arrangement of fireplace tools on a receiving and supporting standard.

It is proposed to have the standard so formed and the fireplace tools so disposed thereon that a relatively light weight free standing standard and tool set is provided with a low center of gravity for maximum stability. The fireplace tools and standard are also formed to enable the engagement of the tools to the standard without the necessity of any expensive hardware.

A further object of this invention is to adapt one of the fireplace tools to catch and hold fireplace dirt falling from the more commonly used fireplace tools.

It is proposed to have a clean up pan, such as would be used in cleaning debris from a fireplace, disposed on the standard beneath the hanging tools in order to catch any dirt falling therefrom. The removable nature of the clean up pan and its disposition and support on the standard is of noteworthy significance.

These and other advantages will be more apparent from the description of one formof this invention which follows.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation view of the proposed combination of a set of fireplace tools and a stand therefor.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation view of the proposed fireplace tools and their stand.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the proposed standard and the clean up pan as removed therefrom.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view through the fireplace tool supporting member of the standard and showing one of the fireplace tools engaged therewith.

Fig. 4 is taken in the plane of line IVIV of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows thereon.

The commonly used fireplace tools include a shovel 10, poker 12 and brush or broom member 14. Besides these fireplace tools the proposed set includes a clean up pan 16. The fireplace shovel is most commonly used to move hot coals from one place to another and is normally too small to collect debris from the fireplace since it must be repeatedly emptied into something of larger capicity. The clean up pan 16 may be used to collect fireplace dirt from the fireplace hearth or in front of it and, as used here, has another purpose which will be described later in further detail.

The fireplace tool supporting stand or standard 18 is a self-supporting or free standing member. This particular stand is made from one continuous rod or bar stock member; such material being readily and inexpensively available. The standard 18 is formed to provide substantially parallel, vertically disposed support members 20 and 22 having a connecting portion 24 provided between the upper ends thereof and a pair of horizontally disposed leg portions 26 and 28 formed from the lower ends thereof. In this instance, the legs 26 and 28 are in parallel spaced relation to each other and extend forwardly of the vertically disposed members. Feet 30 and 32 are provided at the ends of the leg portions. The legs 26 and 28 are actually inclined downwardly towards the rear of the standard and engage the standard supporting surface at the angle bends 34 and 36 between the vertically disposed supports and the leg members. The four point en gagement of the standard with a supporting surface provides a much more stable standard than if the whole leg portions were engaged therewith.

Further stability of the standard is provided by having the vertically disposed members 20 and 22 inclined forwardly to distribute their weight and that of the connecting part 24 centrally over the base of the standard.

The fireplace tools are each simple in construction. The tools 10, 12 and 14 include identical handle portions 38 formed from the same rod stock as is used to make the standard;v The handle 39 of the clean up pan is the same as the other tool handles, but shorter. The poker member 12 is formed wholly from such rod stock material. The shovel end 40 of tool 10 and the pan part 42 of tool 16 are formed from sheet metal blanked to include parts which are readily bent into position to form the side and back Walls of the shovel and pan members. The ends of the side walls are bent around the back wall to form the corners for the shovel and pan.

The more commonly used fireplace tools, that is the shovel 10, poker 12 and broom 14, are supported upon the cross member 24 of the standard. Each of these tools has a long handle 38 which, as engaged with the standard, disposes the working ends of the tools in free hanging position over and close to the base of the standard. The lower ends of these tools are also their heavier ends so that their free hanging disposition centers their weight low on the standard and between the points of engagement of the standard to a supporting surface.

The clean up pan 16 is supported in a substantially horizontal position on the standard 18 and is disposed under the free hanging tools 10, 12 and 14. The clean up pan is of such width that it extends under all of the tools in position to collect any dirt falling from them. The clean up pan is supported on the standard by the engagement of its handle with a tie bar 44, secured to the vertically disposed members 20 and 22 near the standards legs, and by the engagement of the front end of the pan with the ends of the standards legs 26 and 28. This three point engagement provides both a stable and a rattle free support for the clean up pan.

Each of the free hanging fireplace tools 10, 12 and 14 are located on the cross bar 24 of the standard in a given position by means of open loops or depressions 46 formed therein. A similar loop or depression 47 is formed in the tie bar 44 of the standard to locate the clean up pan 16. These open loops or depressions are formed to receive the handle ends of the tool members to locate the free hanging tools in spaced relation to each other and to locate the clean up pan at the base of the standard in centered relation under the other tools. 7

The ends of the handles 38 and 39 of each of the fireplace tools is formed to include a handgrip loop 48 having a narrow neck 50 which seats upon the cross bar 24 or tie member 44, as the case may be, without allowing such member to pass into the looped portion of the handgrip. The free ends 52 of the handgrips are opened slightly and serve to assist the handles in being guided into engagement with their support and within their respective depressions 46 or 47.

It will be noted that the fireplace tool standard and the set of fireplace tools just described are all formed from commonly available and inexpensive material. The standard 18 is not so heavy that it is difficult to move from one place to the other and yet is so formed and has the fireplace tools It 12, 14 and 16 disposed thereon in such a manner as to provide adequate stability for the standard. 7

The fireplace tools each include a handgrip 48 at the ends of their handles which is formed from the handle itself. These handgrips also serve as the means by which the tools are readily engaged upon the standard and eliminate the need for special hardware to provide a handgrip and/or hanging hook on the ends of the handles.

The clean up pan 16 is supported at three points on the standard and is centered under the free hanging tools by the interengagement of the clean up pan handle 39 within the centered depression 47 formed in the tie rod 44. The pan is of such width as to extend entirely under each of the three free hanging tools 10, 12 and 14, and as disposed on the standard is inclined slightly rearwardly in order that any dirt falling into the pan will be collected at the deeper end thereof. This rearward inclination of the pan also means that any dirt on the pan will not accidentally roll out of the open end thereof.

While only one preferred embodiment of this invention has been described, it will be understood that other forms l comprising: a single rod-like element forming leg members, upright members and a cross member joining the tops of said upright members; said leg members each having a downwardly extending foot at one end and being inclined downwardly away from said foot; said upright members being joined to the ends of said leg members opposite from said feet; said upright members being inclined toward said feet over said leg members whereby said cross member is disposed directly above the space between said leg members; said cross member having depressions therein for seating and suspending tools therefrom in a fore and aft relationship between said upright members and said feet.

2. A storage standard for fireplace tools, said standard comprising: a rod-like element having leg members, upright members and a cross member joining the tops of said upright members; said leg members each having a downwardly extending foot at one end and being inclined downwardly away from said foot; said upright members being joined to the ends of said leg members opposite from said feet; a pan having a handle forming a hook at its upper end; a cross piece between said upright members for receiving said hook thereover with said pan supported on said cross piece and on said leg members adjacent said feet; said upright members being inclined toward said feet over said pan whereby said cross member is intermediate the front and back of said pan; said cross member having depressions therein for seating and suspending tools therefrom over said pan.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,061,431 West May 13, 1913 2,754,130 Procter July 10, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 372,545 Great Britain of 1932 

